[Video] RZA Talks "White Dress" & Working With Kanye West: "I Admire Him"

As much as the RZA has been a teacher to those that have come after him, the artist formally known as Prince Rakeem doesn’t have a massive ego that won’t allow him to learn from others. Case in point is RZA’s admiration for Kanye West. Although Kanye has often cited the RZA as one of his inspirations and was pleased to attain his services for My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, RZA says that he was just as pleased to have Kanye West contribute to the soundtrack for his directorial debut “The Man With The Iron Fists.” RZA makes no qualms about his appreciation for Kanye West’s talent and explained his position in a sit down with TheWellVersed and 2DopeBoyz recently. “Kanye to me is one of the best artists in the game. Not only because of his record sales, but because of his focus,” RZA said. ” I met a man who was so focused that I admired him.”

Not only did RZA admire Kanye’s focus in music, but he also learned a thing or two from Mr. West.

“He says he learned from me, but I learned from him,” RZA continues. “I went back and told some of the Wu Tang members that it’s okay to put yourself in an orderly form, even as a musician. Because we usually smoke our weed, make music at night and be spontaneous. Being spontaneous is good but to have ordinance and structure sometimes is even better. Because you form a circle and know exactly what you are punching at every time.”

For all the work that Kanye has done over the years, RZA says that he was particularly impressed with “White Dress.” The song that many speculate to be about Kim Kardashian was praised by the RZA because he feels that it is one of Kanye’s most impressive lyrical contributions to date.

“For this particular song ‘White Dress’ he went in. Line for line he was going in,” RZA says about the artist who perhaps is more known for his production than his lyricism. “He’s always witty, but to apply it to how he rapped about women through the whole verse. He just didn’t do a sixteen bar, he did like a Ghostface sixty bar verse or something, he killed it yo.”

If left up to the Wu Tang leader, this won’t be the last time RZA and Kanye work together on a project.

“I loved working with him and I look forward to working with him again in the future and sharing our knowledge.”